Hermès turns towards luxury

The descendants of Thierry Hermès, Émile-Maurice, Adolphe and Robert Dumas-Hermès, continued the development of the company into quality luxury products such as the Kelly bag, cashing in on the rapid growth of the baggage industry through the development of the automobile. Thierry Hermès passed away, leaving his successors to take over the trade which he was so passionate and enthusiastic about.

Following the renovation of Paris, commissioned by Napoleon III and led by Baron Haussmann, the Hermès fashion house set up shop at 24 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré in around 1880. This narrow Parisian street, located in a notoriously wealthy and fashionable area close to the Champs Elysées, brought the company closer to its prosperous clientele.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Haut à Courroies bag, ancestor to the Kelly, went on sale.